A Damn Good Question They've Been Trying To Answer For 4 Decades

After 40 years, BMW's 3 series rules a tougher league

Changing market pose serious challenges

The question is whether BMW can maintain the 3 series' performance aura in a market demanding more luxury, connectivity, semiautonomous driving technology and increased fuel economy.

BMW can't afford not to.

The 3 series accounts for about 25 percent of BMW sales worldwide, the automaker says. In the United States, 501,569 luxury compact cars were sold last year, and the 3 series (and its spinoff 4 series) accounted for nearly 28 percent of those sales -- a percentage BMW has maintained seven out of the last 10 years.

Dealers testify to the nameplate's market strength.

"I've had repeat buyers over and over again. Over the years, the 3 series has evolved, and the technology has evolved, but they have not rested on their laurels," says Joe Laham, owner of BMW of Cape Cod in Massachusetts.

Laham, who sells 10 other brands including Audi and Volvo, says rivals have a hard time conquesting 3-series buyers.

"Everybody has tried to benchmark it," he says. "I do value my partners, but it is tough to compete with the legend."

(AutoNews.com)

Did You Know - Engine Edition

(BoutTheImmortal.Tumblr.com)

This Is A Cool Old School Build Toy

Wooden Block Transformers Are Baby’s First Optimus Prime

(Gizmodo.com)

They're Very Easy To Spot

How to Spot a Wannabe Car Guy

2. He has stickers all over his car . . . . .

• Stickers do exactly two things: 1) they advertise the fact that he spent a ton of money on a car that’s worth about 1/3 of what he has “invested” in it, and 2) they highlight his desperate need for recognition and approval.

3. . . . . . and knows next to nothing about it

• Fun fact: most people don’t know whether their car is front-, rear-, or all-wheel drive, and so few drivers ever check their oil that the dipstick is officially an endangered species. If you ever hear a Porsche owner talk about the V6 under the hood,* they’re a poser, and it’s not considered rude to turn your back and walk away.

9. He’s a know-it-all

• The wannabe car guy absolutely has a solution for everything, regardless of whether or not they have any clue what they’re talking about. A true car guy wants the best solution possible, and is comfortable enough to admit if an issue is beyond their area of knowledge.

Complete list (Thrillist.com)

It's Stories Like This That Keeps Recreational Drugs Illegal

Dad Speaks Out After 'Skittles Party' Leads to Son's Death

“Skittles parties” may sound innocent, but they are far from it: They’re an alarming trend in which teens raid their parents’ medicine cabinets and dump the prescription and over-the-counter drugs they’ve gathered into a communal bowl. The teens then take handfuls of a random assortment of pills, often with alcohol, to get high.

Several teens have overdosed after playing Russian roulette with pills at these parties, which are also known as “pharming parties.” Last month, five high school students in Marin County, California, overdosed after an apparent “Skittles party” and were taken to the hospital.

(Yahoo.com)